Black Sabbath have returned to touring after cancelling three gigs in Canada.

With frontman Ozzy Osbourne suffering from the combined effects of bronchitis and sinusitis, dates in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver were axed.

Fans with tickets have been advised to hold on to them pending attempts to reschedule the dates.

They then returned to the stage at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington where Ozzy told the fans: "Thank you for my life."

Reviewing the 14-song 100-minute set by "the group credited with inventing heavy metal", The Seattle Times' Jake Uitti wrote online: "It’s safe to say the expectations of the 20,000-plus fans there were met — and probably exceeded.

"The rush of energy in the Dome felt genuine and celebratory... the point was to live for just one more night in the bat-chewed, dark art of heavy-metal music."

A note posted on the Black Sabbath website announcing the postponement of the February 2, 2016 gig in Vancouver after shows in Edmonton and Calgary had already been postponed

In a press conference before The End world tour opened in Omaha, Nebraska on January 20, 2016, Ozzy said he would continue as a solo artist.

But he promised it would be the end of the road for the band.

“This is not one of these final tours and in five years we’ll do another one,” said Ozzy, now 67.

“This is it for Black Sabbath.

“We all came from a three-mile radius (in Aston) and thought: ‘We’ll give it a go’.

“I thought this (band) would be great for a couple of years.

“We had no idea that 40-odd years up the road, people would still want us. It’s mindblowing. What a good idea that was.

“It had to end sooner or later, but it’s good to end on a high note with 13, our first US No 1 album.

Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler in action

Geezer Butler said he had mixed feelings about the tour.

The bass player said: “It’s bitter sweet. It’s going to be sad in some ways, but great in another way.

“This is going to be the last time people see us, so we’ll going to give 100 per cent of us every night.”

Guitarist Tony Iommi could not explain why The End had begun in Omaha, Nebraska in the heart of the US.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It had to be somewhere.”

Tony added that the band had not had the time to enjoy the city.

“We wanted to go for a walk around the block, but we went out for two seconds and it was so cold we ended up coming back in,” Tony laughed.

“We’ve known each other since school days 57 years ago, but it’s great to start and finish (Black Sabbath) with the same people. Brilliant.

“We’re playing songs we haven’t played for 30 years because fans want to hear the classics."

Black Sabbath

Asked what the difference was between touring then and touring now, Geezer joked: “No women, no drugs, no booze. Just the music!”

The band were asked for their views on the passing of David Bowie, Lemmy and Glenn Frey from The Eagles.

Tony, who has been fighting cancer, said: “Its awful to see them keep dropping like flies from our generation. It’s really awful.”

Ozzy added: “Keep moving, chaps!

“Lemmy was a close friend and I knew he was ill for a long time.

“My wife and I were just on the way out to see him when we got the call to say he had passed.”

With the world increasingly becoming a global village, diehard Black Sabbath fans might want to hedge their bets about any homecoming – and turn one of the band’s already booked farewell gigs into a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

Here’s our pick of ten of the best, from Vegas to New York and from Vancouver to Moscow and Sydney from the dozens of shows planned.

Madison Square Garden (Image: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Thu Feb 25 and Sat Feb 27 – Madison Square Garden, New York

Tue Apr 19 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Sat Apr 23 – Allphones Arena, Sydney

Thu Jun 30 – 02 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic

Tue Jul 12 – Olympisky Arena, Moscow

Wed Sep 7 – Gexa Energy Pavillion, Dallas, Texas

Sat Sep 17 – Garden Arena, MGM Grand Hotel &amp; Casino, Las Vegas

Mon Sep 19 – Hollywood Bowl, LA

Wed Sep 21 Ak-Chin Pavillion, Phoenix, Arizona.

This is the last date currently announced, official tickets prices here are £21 to £105, with some tickets on resale now for more than £500 in the front block. Opened in 1990, the Ak-Chin Pavilion is an amphitheatre which seats 8,000 under a pavilion roof and has an additional 12,000 on a hillside behind the main stands.

Midland Dates in 2016

An Audience With Tony Iommi hosted by Gary Newbon will be held at the Birmingham Town Hall on Saturday, March 19.

Tickets priced £17.50 (subject to a £3 transaction fee and optional £1 postage) went on sale on December 11.

Black Sabbath announced in November, 2005 they were to play the Download Festival in 2006 (Image: Ian West/PA Wire)

Download 2016 (#DL2016) runs at Donington Park from June 10-12.

Black Sabbath are headlining on Saturday, June 11.

Including fees, the day-only, unreserved standing tickets are £82.50 for adults or £33 for children (aged five to 12).

Same prices apply for Sunday when Iron Maiden are headlining.

Black Sabbath - 13 album cover

First night setlist from The End tour - at Omaha, Nebraska (featuring Tommy Clufetos on drums).

Black Sabbath

Fairies Wear Boots

Tomorrow’s Dream

Into the Void

Snowblind

War Pigs

Behind the Wall of Sleep

N.I.B.

Hand of Doom

Rat Salad

Iron Man

Children of the Grave

Dirty Woman

Paranoid

Three expected songs, God is Dead, Under the Sun and After Forever, were missed out.

Omaha World-Herald music critic Kevin Coffey was most impressed with Tony Iommi, writing: “Iommi was pure thundering bliss on guitar. Playing some battered-up, well-used Gibson SGs, the legendary picker had a thick tone that was often menacing, sometimes forceful and always bursting with lightning.”